Concerts 2024-25
All concerts are one hour without intermission, free to attend and open to all ages*, and begin at 4:00pm in the Sanctuary of St. James' Episcopal Church, 1325 Monterey Road, South Pasadena, CA 91030 sjcsp.org
Sunday November 17
Pardon my French! The Music of Versailles
Les Hautbois du LAB: Opening Fanfare
Lully: Suite from Le Triomphe de l’amore et de Bacchus and Passacaille from Armide
Telemann: Overture-Suite in D Major, TWV 55:D18
Marais: Suite from Ariane et Bacchus
Los Angeles Baroque directed by Lindsey Strand-Polyak
This fall, LAB is going big, we’re going bold, and we’re going French! We’ll be performing two suites on the same story, Bacchus and Ariadne, as set by O.G. French opera composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, and one of his most successful students, Marin Marais. The tale involves love, wine and a happy ending… Perfect for fall! Then we’ll look at how Telemann "does French" in one of the suites, which seems to fit perfectly with Versailles. We can marvel at how Telemann is the eternal chameleon yet manages to always pull it off with his unique style.
Join the musicians for a post-concert wine, water and snacks reception after the concert, in the Parish Hall.
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*LAB is funded by donations and members' dues. Donations at concerts are encouraged, but not expected. While we welcome everyone at our concerts, young children who may not be able to remain quiet for a 60-minute concert are welcome to join us afterward, at the reception.
Further concerts this season - mark your calendars!
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Sunday, April 6, 2025
PREVIOUSLY (8th Season, 2023-24):
Sunday, May 19
Bohemian Rhapsody!
When we think of "Baroque" music, many of us think Germany, Italy, France, England… and then the list starts to trail off. This often has much more to do with modern political history and scholarship than the richness of the repertories. Thankfully, this is starting to change, and this Spring, we’re digging into delicious music by Czech composers and the patronage of the Prague Court. One of the other themes in this program is how composers processed life's challenges through music. This area of the world had suffered greatly from plague and the 30 Years’ War. And yet, Zelenka and Biber wrote pieces that would have brought these topics into a salon-type setting.
František Ignác Antonín Tuma: Partita in D Minor
Jan Dismas Zelenka: Hipocondrie à 7 Concertanti in A Major
Johann Friedrich Fasch: Concerto for Flute and Strings in G Major
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: Battalia à 9 in D Major
Johann Gottlieb Janitsch: Sinfonia in G Major
Sunday, March 17
High School Musicale: The Ladies of Vivaldi's Venice
Welcome to 18th-century Carnivale season in Venice, where party-hardy nobles from all over Europe came to get down, hit the gambling tables, and take in a show, Vegas-style! One of the most coveted tickets in town was an unlikely spot just round the corner from the famous Basilica San Marco: a school for young women with one of the best orchestras in Europe, led by the "Red Priest" Antonio Vivaldi himself. We celebrate the spirit of the season, the talent of Vivaldi’s orchestra, and a composer who changed 18th-century music.
Vivaldi: Sinfonia in G Major, RV 149
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The "All #1s" Concerto
Vivaldi: Concerto for Four Violins, RV 580 (I: Allegro · Interlude: Largo)
Telemann: Viola Concerto in G Major (I: Largo)
Vivaldi: Flute Concerto in D Major "Il Gardellino" (The Goldfinch) RV 428 (I: Allegro)
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The G Minor "Remix" Concerto
Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G Minor from "La Cetra" Op 9 (The Lyre), RV 334 (I: Allegro non molto · II: Largo)
Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in G Minor, RV 329 (III: Allegro)
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The "Tutti Flutti" Concerto
Vivaldi: Concerto in C Major for Two Flutes, RV 533 (I: Allegro molto · II: Largo)
Vivaldi: Concerto in C Major for Sopranino Recorder, RV 443 (III: Allegro molto)
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Vivaldi: La Follia in D Minor, RV 63 (arranged by Marco Nason)
Sunday, November 12
8th Season Opener
Bath Time: Music for Matchmaking Season
Grab your finest silk coat or gown, and the latest gossip column! We're heading to the resort town of Bath, in Somerset, England. Enjoy a one-hour program that local 18th-century philanthropist Ralph Allen might have hosted: concertos by Handel, Corelli and Hellendaal; then, at the magical golden hour, selections from Purcell's The Fairy Queen. Dapper Georgian dress is encouraged, and a party with the musicians follows the concert. Join us for our 8th Season Opener!
Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso, Op.6 No.2 in F Major (c.1712)
George Frideric Handel: Concerto Grosso Op.3 No.1 in Bb Major (published 1734)
Pieter Hellendaal: Concerto Grosso, Op.3 No.4 in Eb Major (published c.1758)
Henry Purcell: Instrumental selections from The Fairy Queen (1692)